BBC Sounds App
BBC Sounds was one of the most ambitious app projects the BBC has undertaken, combining live radio, music, and podcasts in a single product. During my time on the Sounds team, I contributed to several major features, including playback improvements, multi-device connectivity and in-car integrations
One feature I led end-to-end was Chromecast support, which at the time was a critical piece of functionality for migrating users from the legacy iPlayer Radio app and delivering on BBC’s OKRs to grow adoption of Sounds. Below I’ll walk through the process, decisions, and impact of this project.
Role
UX Designer
Platforms
iOS and Android, Mobile and Tablet
Scale
Migrated 1.5 million users from iPlayer Radio (legacy app) to Sounds
A closer look at Chromecast
One of the biggest gaps in the launch version of Sounds was Chromecast support. Over 10,000 iPlayer Radio users relied on it, and its absence drove 7% of all negative reviews.
Without Chromecast, migration from iPlayer Radio was at risk. To deliver on BBC’s growth goals, we needed to close that gap quickly and seamlessly.
I led the end-to-end design of Chromecast on iOS and Android, creating a solution that worked alongside AirPlay and Bluetooth to support all connectivity needs.
User Needs
A user with a Chromecast device should be able to stream BBC Sounds content from their app to their TV
The UI indicator should be clear for all states of casting and should allow the user rapid control using established playback patterns
Research & Discovery 🔎
To understand the best way to introduce Chromecast, I looked beyond simply copying the iPlayer Radio approach.
Competitor analysis: Compared how leading audio and video apps handled casting - some relied on native patterns, while others used custom menus.
User feedback: Analysed App Store reviews, which confirmed Chromecast was a top pain point and shaped expectations around visibility and control.
Holistic scope: Decided to treat Chromecast as part of a wider connectivity framework alongside AirPlay and Bluetooth, ensuring consistency across iOS and Android.
This groundwork clarified the design challenge: how to make casting obvious and reliable for users, while keeping the player UI simple and scalable.
Design Exploration & Trade-offs
Once I’d gathered user needs and mapped out the technical constraints, I explored different ways of surfacing Chromecast and other connectivity options (AirPlay and Bluetooth). This meant balancing discoverability for users who were actively looking for the feature, against simplicity for those who didn’t use it.
I prototyped multiple approaches, narrowed them down to two, and tested them on-device with the team:
Option 1: “Available Devices” button
Pros: Familiar from other audio apps, provided a consistent approach across iOS and Android, and freed up space in the top-right of the player for future actions.
Cons: Chromecast was one step deeper in the UI, potentially less obvious for frustrated users, and required higher dev effort.
Option 2: Separate icons for each connectivity type
Pros: Made Chromecast very visible (a key pain point in App Store reviews), required minimal dev effort, and allowed the autoplay toggle to remain in the player.
Cons: Created a more cluttered interface, introduced inconsistency between platforms, and caused icons to appear and disappear depending on device availability.
Design & Delivery
With the approach agreed, I designed the full end-to-end flow for Chromecast across iOS and Android. This included:
Connectivity states: Defined behaviours for when devices were in range, connected, or actively casting.
UI logic: Created detailed diagrams covering every scenario, from device discovery to disconnecting, and worked with a UX writer to ensure copy was clear and consistent.
Platform nuances: On iOS, “Available Devices” could include Chromecast, AirPlay, and Bluetooth. On Android, Bluetooth couldn’t be managed natively, so we adjusted the design to fit platform constraints.
Collaboration with engineering: Attached detailed specs to Jira tickets, paired with developers during implementation, and refined the experience during build.
The result was a seamless casting workflow that aligned with platform expectations while maintaining a consistent BBC design language.
Challenges during development
One key challenge emerged during Android development: the platform couldn’t support opening the native Bluetooth menu, which broke our unified design model. I worked with engineers to adapt, adopting a native connectivity pattern for Android while maintaining overall consistency across platforms.
The result was a seamless casting workflow tailored to each platform aligned with technical feasibility.
Outcomes 📈 & Impact ⭐
User adoption: Sounds grew to 2M weekly users, with Chromecast and In-car support cited as a key driver of migration.
Feedback shift: Negative reviews about missing Chromecast disappeared; users praised the seamless casting and felt heard.
Business value: Supported OKRs to migrate audiences from iPlayer Radio and improve app satisfaction.
